Trillanes on Paolo Duterte’s impending libel rap: Lawsuit meant to divert my attention

Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday belittled the impeding libel charges to be filed against him by former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte over the P6.4-billion shabu shipment that was smuggled into the country from China last year.

In a short statement, Trillanes said: “That's another frivolous lawsuit meant to harass or divert my attention.”

“Clearly, during the Senate inquiry [last year], I was able to present circumstantial evidence of the links of Paolo Duterte to the major players involved in the P6.4-billion shabu shipment to include [customs fixer] Mark Taguba's testimony,” the senator said in a text message.

Trillanes said he “will not be cowed” by the administration whom he accused of using the justice system against the political opposition. 

Earlier in the day, Duterte said he is taking legal action against Trillanes for “viciously destroying my name, maligning my reputation and integrity, and for deliberately manufacturing lies and spreading black propaganda against me.”

“Senator Trillanes manufactured lies and deliberately spread these lies with the obvious intention of destroying my name and maligning my reputation, with a view to impacting negatively against our beloved President,” Duterte said in a statement.

Trillanes had accused the son of President Rodrigo Duterte of membership in a drug triad which the senator said could be proven by a colored, dragon-like tattoo on his back.

Duterte admitted he has a tattoo but invoked his right to privacy when asked how it looks like.

A fact-finding panel of the Office of the Ombudsman recently cleared Duterte and his brother-in-law, Mans Carpio, of involvement in the shabu shipment that slipped past port inspections. — RSJ, GMA News